journal article·2026-06

Mechanically Driven, Self‐Powered Hydrogel Iontronics for Visualized Tactile Logic Gate Circuit

Yaowen Ouyang, Xing Xiang, Yuyang Zhang, Xiang Li, Yanguang Zhou, Zhong Lin Wang, Di Wei

Small· Volume 22· Issue 36
Publisher page

Abstract

ABSTRACT The modulation of ion transport underlies neuronal signal integration, yet achieving self‐powered tactile logic based on ionic mechanisms remains challenging. Here we report a hydrogel iontronic platform that mimics neuronal threshold‐triggered action potentials and enables mechano‐driven, self‐powered logic processing. A polyvinyl alcohol/polyacrylamide (PVA/PAM) double‐network hydrogel with engineered geometric, mechanical, and impedance asymmetry exhibits pronounced nonlinear ion gating, delivering peak ionic current densities of ∼2 mA cm − 2 at 72.68 kPa (0.275 A m −2 kPa −1 ), exceeding state‐of‐the‐art devices and orders of magnitude higher than conventional piezoionic systems. Molecular dynamics simulations reveal that interactions between NO 3 − and water molecules in hydrogel invert diffusion asymmetry, providing deterministic control over ionic transport. Electrolyte selection enables programmable switching between excitatory and inhibitory ionic outputs, allowing realization of four fundamental self‐powered Boolean logic gates (OR, AND, NOR, and NAND) through simple series‐parallel integration. Coupling triboelectric nanogenerators (TENG) enables real‐time visualized tactile logic via LED outputs. This work advances hydrogel iontronics from passive sensing toward integrated perception‐cognition, opening new routes for neuromimetic human‐machine interfaces (HMI) and Internet‐of‐Things (IoT) systems.
Source: crossref · Quality: baseline

Research context

OpenAlex topics: Advanced Sensor and Energy Harvesting Materials · Advanced Materials and Mechanics · Dielectric materials and actuators

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

Beijing Institute of Nanoenergy and Nanosystems Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing P. R. China

School of Nanoscience and Engineering University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing P. R. China

Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Kowloon Hong Kong SAR P. R. China

Centre For Photonic Devices and Sensors University of Cambridge Cambridge UK

Funding

China Postdoctoral Science Foundation

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